The pace of hiring rose in May while the number of job openings dropped but remained near a record level, the latest sign that the labor market has continued to exhibit signs of strength in the second quarter of the year.

The hiring rate climbed to 3.7% in May from 3.5% the prior month, according to the Labor Department's monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, known as Jolts. May's figure remains below the hiring rates that were reached in late 2015 and early 2016.

There were about 5.7 million job openings at the end of May, down from about 6 million at the end of April. About 5.3 million people left a job, and 5.5 million people were hired in May. Both numbers were up from April.

The Jolts report was once a widely-watched labor market indicator, but has generated less interest in recent years. The rates in the report haven’t changed much since 2015. The report is also released with a lag; this month's release only provides data through May. The primary jobs report for June, which showed a robust pace of hiring, has already been released. That report showed that employers added 222,000 positions in June. Most economists consider the rates in the Jolts report healthy, but not spectacular.

Among major industries, employers were looking especially to fill jobs in the health-care and education industry. Job openings in professional services were down somewhat from a year ago. Manufacturing job openings have been on the rise, but construction job openings have been dwindling.

The high level of job openings shows employers still have substantial hunger for new employees, and therefore suggests there's plenty of room for the economy to continue adding jobs later in the year.